Irving

Mother of 2 Girls Killed in Honor Killing Speaks Out

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It's been 13 years of waiting, long enough for Patricia Owens to wonder if there will ever be justice for her daughters, Amina and Sarah Said.

"It's really been very difficult," said Owens.

"When we left to go, you know, home, I was telling my sister, 'don't tell me this is just a dream.' And she said 'no tissy, it's real,'" said Owens.

It was New Year's Day 2008 when investigators say Yaser shot and killed his daughters in his taxicab. Though Owens initially denied claims it was an 'honor killing,' she now believes the crime was motivated by Yaser's anger over their daughters dating non-Muslim boys.

"It's hard because they were my best friends. And I miss them coming in there and jumping on the bed and saying girl talk. Or just their smiles, their laughs, their, you know, silliness," said Owens.

And then there's their son, 32-year-old Islam, who pleaded guilty to helping Yassein hide his father. Owens said she hasn't spoken to him since shortly after the murders.

"I took for granted, I had my family. I had my kids, but all in one day… I lost it all," said Owens.

But now, though there's a long road ahead… Owens has hope for closure.

Sentencing for Yassein and Islam said is set for June.

Both face up to 30 years in prison.

Yaser Said was indicted by the state of Texas on Capital Murder charges and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Yaser Said had been a fugitive from justice since New Year's Day 2008, when he allegedly murdered his teenage daughters, Amina and Sarah. According to law enforcement, he shot the girls to death inside his taxicab and abandoned their bodies inside the vehicle. He was captured by the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force in August 2020, and is currently in state custody.

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